Authoring Digital Possibilities

iDiscover @ DMIT

28 March 2013

iDiscover 2013

Almost 400 secondary school students discovered what our school graduation show was all about.

iDiscover was held on 7th and 8th March 2013, in conjunction with our graduation show, Render 2013. The students visited Singapore Polytechnic and about 40 of our own students facilitated in hosting the event. Below is a writeup by one of our student leaders.

The iDiscover event was an enriching and exciting experience. Through my conversations with the secondary school students and final year exhibitors, I learned a lot and had my passion for IT re-ignited.

As a facilitator, my duty was to lead a group of secondary school students around the Render 2013 showcase at the Convention Centre. Having never seen the exhibits before myself, I was equally excited as the students I was leading.

Canine Candidate booth

While waiting for the event to kick-start, we visited a booth near the entrance featuring an animation titled "Canine Candidate" . It features a simple storyline whereby a lonely man finds a stray dog to replace his late companion. I was awe-struck throughout the entire animation as I found it unbelievable that a group of students can actually create an animation on par with some of Pixar’s short clips.

Concert Performance by DMAT students

After that, we entered the Singapore Polytechnic Convention Centre. It was a mix of live concert performances put up by our school’s Diploma in Music and Audio Technology students, animations by our Diploma in Digital Animation students and short films done by our Diploma in Visual Effects and Motion Graphics students.

After the highly entertaining performances and films, we proceeded on to other exhibits in a hurry. The timekeepers were always edgy, as the iDiscover event schedule was pretty tight. Some of the noteworthy exhibits we visited included the making of “Medijournal” and a Facebook game for Shiseido.

The atmosphere was really inspirational. Everywhere we went, the enthusiastic chatter was never amiss. The cheerfulness and enthusiasm of the graduating students worked hand in hand to create a really prevalent positive vibe. After the event, one of my friends even remarked that he could not wait to start on his Final Year Project. It was indeed a common sentiment among the iDiscover student helpers.

At the end of the day, we parted reluctantly. Despite being exhausted, we felt that it was all worth it when our teachers-in-charge praised and thanked us happily. What made it even better was that the students I led were thankful and had really enjoyed themselves. One even asked to add me on Facebook!

In conclusion, it was a really fulfilling experience. Our only gripe being that the event was too short. I really had an enjoyable experience as I not only got to do my part as a Singapore Polytechnic student; I also got to know more people through the event and be inspired by my seniors’ animated and enthusiastic introductions of their projects.